How to lucid dream! Wake up in dreams and experience a new world of conscious dreams.
A lucid dream begins when a person becomes conscious within a dream. Normally, dreams are a way to express subconscious thoughts, so this awareness makes the lucid experience quite different.
Once the dreamer becomes conscious, they suddenly have the ability to direct the events and characters in any way they wish, similar to a daydream. But because the dreamer is entirely submerged in dreamland, the conscious experience feels far more real.
The Sleeping Brain
In the past, scientists believed that sleep was a similar condition to being dead. They presumed that while the body was shut down, the brain was also functioning at a minimal level. This is simply not true.
When a person sleeps, their brain can be highly active. Parts of the brain that deal with memories begin filing away the day’s events, and these can play out in dreams. Night visions are also a way for the subconscious mind to come to terms with change and new understanding that emerges from everyday life. The brain is a powerful tool, and it never stops working, even while the owner is fast asleep.
Self-Initiated Lucid Dreams
There are two ways to initiate a lucid dream. A wake-initiated lucid dream (WILD) happens when a person descends from a normal waking state into a dream state with no apparent lapse in consciousness. Some people find they have been practising this since they were children, without realising that it is an unusual skill to develop.
The other type is known as a dream-initiated lucid dream (DILD). This begins as a normal dream, but the person soon realises that they are dreaming, usually by applying logic to the surreal situation around them. The dream immediately becomes more vivid, and they have the ability to consciously evaluate what to do next in this fictitious environment.
How to Induce a Lucid Dream
Learning how to lucid dream requires the right mindset and a little patience. By programming the subconscious mind to frequently test its reality, eventually a test will occur during a dream. This will lead to one clear realisation: “This is a dream!”
A method created by lucid dream expert, Dr Stephen LaBerge, involves trying to push two fingers through a solid object, such as the other hand or a table top. At the same time, pose the question: “Am I dreaming? Is this real?” LaBerge recommends performing this reality check half a dozen times during the waking day. Eventually, performing this check in a dream will see the fingers pass through the object, which, when paired with the question, should lead the conscious brain to kick in and apply logic.
Having lucid dreaming on the brain during the daytime also helps. Reading a book or talking about lucid dreaming places the concept firmly in the subconscious mind, which may then reappear in a dream. A reality check may then spontaneously occur against whatever unreality is happening in the dream.
Dream Recall
This is the ability to remember dreams. Better dream recall increases a person’s awareness of dreams in general, and will awaken memories of the dreamland that are so easily forgotten. LaBerge recommends keeping a dream journal and writing down a brief outline of any dreams immediately upon waking. This will ultimately help in the quest for lucid dreams.
Further Reading
Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Dr Stephen LaBerge & Howard Rheingold
Precognitive Dreams by Beverly Hill
